Objective: This study aimed to clinically investigate the effectiveness of laser photobiomodulation (laser PBM) using flat-top beam profile modifier in acceleration of canine retraction. The expression of nuclear factor kappa-Β ligand (RANKL) that is involved in alveolar bone remodeling was additionally assessed.
Material & Methods: The current split-mouth randomized controlled trial involved twenty patients undergoing extractive orthodontic therapy due to the eruption of ectopic canines. A total of forty canines were assigned to two groups: Group I, which underwent laser irradiation, and Group II, which did not receive irradiation. The canines were evaluated at T0 (pre-retraction), T1 (one month post-retraction), T2 (two months), and T3 (three months) for total retraction displacement. RANKL gingival crevicular fluid samples were collected on days 0, 7, 14, and 30 during laser photobiostimulation sessions. Probing depth was also assessed as a secondary outcome at baseline and three months after the procedure.
Results: Results of orthodontic tooth movement of the canines after 3 months of follow-up indicate an average displacement of 3.48±0.2 mm for the irradiated group and 3.07±0.24 mm for the non-irradiated group. The results demonstrated that Group I achieved the highest mean RANKL level than Group II at different time intervals. No differences were observed between groups regarding the probing depth (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Results of this research showed that the laser photobiomodulation (laser PBM) using flat-top beam profile modifier with the parameters set was found to be a non-invasive tool capable of accelerating the orthodontic canine retraction with maintenance of periodontal health.